Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Labrador Tea - TreeTime.ca

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Labrador Tea

Amelanchier alnifolia Smoky

Rhododendron groenlandicum (Ledum groenlandicum)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry)
Labrador Tea

Smoky Saskatoon is a large deciduous shrub that suckers and produces edible fruit. Smoky Saskatoons are one of the most productive and widely used Saskatoons and have large sweet berries with good yields.

One of the oldest and first good yielding cultivars, a majority of the commercial saskatoon orchards were based on this cultivar until Northline and other cultivars were introduced.

Smoky has slightly smaller fruit than Northline and a milder taste but is not acidic like Pembina, Thiessen or Honeywood.

Labrador Tea is slow-growing evergreen shrub native to the boreal forests of Canada.

It thrives in wet, swampy conditions.

Labrador Tea has narrow, leathery, dark green leaves, topped by a cluster of white flowers in the spring. It is a perfect ornamental shrub for boggy, wet areas of your property.

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) Quick Facts

Labrador Tea Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 1a
Height: 4 m (14 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: any
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: none


Toxicity: slightly toxic if ingested
Foliage: leathery, orange undersides, evergreen
Fall colour: orange to red
Fall colour: rust orange
Flowers: white, fragrant
Berries: produces large edible berries great for eating raw
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, YT, NT
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: alder-leaf shadbush, dwarf shadbush, pacific serviceberry, pigeon berry, smokey saskatoon, smokey serviceberry, western juneberry, western serviceberry